Game On: Pacers @ Hornets

The Hornets have lost five of their last seven, dropping them to tenth place in the Western Conference, three games behind the Blazers for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Tonight should bring some welcome relief as the 18-25 Indiana Pacers are in town, one of just two sub-500 teams the Hornets will face in the next couple weeks. The Pacers are just 6-20 on the road this season, 0-6 against Southwest division teams, and are currently on a three-game losing streak. They lost at home to the Bulls on Tuesday and the Spurs on Wednesday. Danny Granger put up 50 points in those two games combined. Troy Murphy has been a beast on the boards for the Pacers recently (13.4rpg this month), but they are not a strong rebounding team overall.

The Hornets played in Indianapolis on January 16, holding Granger to 12 points and getting strong contributions from Paul, West and Okafor in a 101-96 win. Pivot Roy Hibbert led the Pacers with a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds.